Graham and I have been together for about thirteen years now. We met through

his uncle at a homecoming party and have been going strong ever since. Graham

is a Consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast and I work in accounts. I

know they say that opposites attract but we are very similar and work just fi ne! We both

are not scared of taking a holiday or wasting a day in front of the TV, usually watching

documentaries about people doing some good work or explaining a new fi tness phase. If

we watch them, we assume some of this will magically rub off. Well, it may happen! We

live in County Antrim and are blessed to be close to our friends and family.

Before Graham had even fi nished asking me to

marry him I had already decided it would be

at Castle Leslie Estate, Black Tie and it would

be big! I know gay people have been able to

have a civil partnership for some time now, but

getting married is true equality. The Irish are

true forward thinkers and warmly embracing,

open people. It’s the friendliest country in the

world. Being from Northern Ireland, where it is

not currently legal, this is even more important.

Graham decided to ask me to marry him on

a trip to New York. It was sort of blurted out

at me in a crowded champagne bar in the

Plaza Hotel off Central Park. It made quite a

few people stare so that was an experience.

Anyway, as I said earlier, I had it planned within

seconds.

The fl ight home was almost unbearable

because I wanted to tell everyone face to face.

My patience was put to the test. It did not

disappoint. Everyone was so excited about it

and started talking about stag do’s and outfi ts

within minutes.

Mr Sam McCool & Mr Graham Morrison

Were Happily Married on the 30th December 2016 in Castle Leslie Estate

146 I IWD Feature I Real Wedding

I visited Caste Leslie Estate within a week. I

did not bother to view anywhere else because

it was pointless. I have such good memories

of Castle Leslie Estate. Some really great times

have been spent there with our friends. We

have been going frequently since 2006 and

were lucky enough a few years ago to get a

tour by Sir John Leslie (R.I.P) himself. He took

no nonsense and marched us around all the

rooms telling us the history and some of his

memories. Planning the wedding was all really

exciting. Very easy to get carried away, so I

did. I never actually thought it would happen

to us as we had been to so many weddings

as guests. I was always a little jealous, so

when it was our day I had to pull out all the

stops. The co-ordinator, Helen McManus, from

the castle thought of everything. You have

so much to think about so it’s good to be in

experienced hands. The details to think of and

the timescales need to be carefully watched.

The worst part was names and addresses for

the invites! We had so many trips leading up

to the wedding for the girls’ dress fi ttings and

for the room design. I loved the fact that, at

Castle Leslie Estate, large weddings are held

in the pavilion. This is like a blank canvas and

you can have so much fun decorating it any

way you want. The Castle itself is so stunning

it just makes it all so special… It’s like being in

Downton Abbey!

We had a pre-wedding dinner the night before

the wedding. This was perfect to catch up with

close friends as on the day you are so busy

getting your pictures taken to cutting the cake!

Our friends all stayed at The Lodge and The

Village Cottages and we heard nothing but

good things. To really enhance the Irish Castle

experience we had a traditional band play.

Quite a few Irish dancers suddenly appeared

the more drinks were served! To keep the night

more relaxed and get everyone ready for the

next day we decided on a buffet meal which

worked perfectly. The only issue of the night

was getting everyone back to their rooms at

a reasonable time so as to not upset the next

day’s events. This plan did not really work.

There was too much fun to be had!

Waking up on the actual day was as scary as I

thought. I am a natural worrier but I surpassed

my usual abilities in that department. I found

lots of other things to worry about. My pre-

wedding diet hadn’t gone to plan and my suit

trousers were tighter than anticipated. I had

no need to worry about anything though. The

Castle had the most amazing team who looked

after every aspect of the day. John, our Events

Manager, knew everything that had to be done

and kept us all on track. Not easy when you

have fi ve excited grooms-maids! The actual

day fl ies in and you really don’t get time to

speak to everyone! It’s all go!! On the day of

the wedding we were picked up and driven

I visited Caste Leslie Estate within a week. I did not bother to view

anywhere else because it was pointless.

Real Wedding I IWD Feature I 147

straight to The Castle for photographs and

then our wedding party was hidden away in

the Red Room until the ceremony was ready

to start. Paul Moane, our photographer, was

with us snapping away. This was the best fun.

The bubbly was fl owing and we had so much

craic practicing our dance to enter the wedding

reception. We could also see everyone arriving.

They all went out to walk around the lake with

their champagne in hand getting ready for

the festivities. We were watching out of the

window and the nerves were kicking in. It’s not

every day that you stand in front of a crowd

and talk about love! As we walked down to the

ceremony it was just so beautiful with all the

Christmas trees glittering away and the fairy

lights giving their party glow.

The ceremony took place in the Pavilion and it

was so luxurious and glitzy. I had designed the

room with the Great Gatsby in mind. I was a

bit terrifi ed that I had arranged a ‘big fat gypsy

wedding,’ but Julie-Ann from EventPlannerNI

kept me right. Her ideas were outstanding. PS,

I loved my white dance fl oor and the roof full of

fairy lights! It was so glamorous and magical.

We both felt so important and terrifi ed!!!

A real mix of emotions on the day!! Fear,

excitement and total overwhelming gratitude

for a wonderful life! Our grooms-maids all wore

pewter gowns made by Two Birds. We wore

midnight blue velvet tuxes. We all looked great,

if I do say so myself. Hair sprayed within an inch

of its life and any fl aws hidden! The ceremony

was beautiful and it was so wonderful to have

everyone we loved in one place. How often

does that happen??? Our commitment was

made and it is unbelievable how lucky we felt.

Admittedly, I had moved on to worrying about

the speeches. I would have worried more if I

had known what stories some of them were

about to reveal!

As if by magic, the room was transformed to hold

our reception party during our drinks reception.

This was served from the conservatory and

gave people the opportunity to look around the

Castle. We had booked the entire venue so we

knew everyone. Champagne, mulled wine and

canapés followed with the Bentley Boys playing

in the background. We had a magician and this

really helped people who did not know each

other connect and get to know one another.

When it was time for the reception to begin, we

were again ushered off to the library to have a

glass of champagne on our own until everyone

was seated. I could get used to this level of

service and feeling of grandeur! The reception

meal was outstanding. We had the most

succulently cooked beef or hake on offer. The

meal was cooked to perfection and so many

of our guests commented on the high-quality

food. The champagne sorbet and chocolate

orange mousse tasted like heaven. I have

to say at this point, that the tasting evening

a few weeks before was my favourite part of

organising the wedding! After the meal, we had

dancing with the full twelve-piece band playing,

making this one of the best nights of my life.

The band are out of this world. A live band is

the best for dancing and a true treat!

If anyone takes my advice, get your band

booked fi rst. They make or break your day.

Music is so important and it helps with the fl ow

of the day. Also, after the meal everyone is

looking to dance!

The day after our wedding, Castle Leslie

Estate had a chauffeur car which whisked us

off to Dublin Airport and we headed off on our

honeymoon to the Caribbean. It all just fl ew in.

You spend so much time planning and worrying

about it all. Will it work out? Will the fl owers be

beautiful? Will everyone turn up? You just have

to relax and enjoy it as it really is amazing! Oh,

and may I add that the fl owers were perfect!

This truly was one of the most wonderful

experiences of our lives and it was made

possible by the people of Ireland and the

wonderful team at Castle Leslie Estate.

Sam & Graham

The ceremony took place in the Pavilion and it was so luxurious and glitzy

148 I IWD Feature I Real Wedding